The Russian prosecutor’s office calls for classifying the Meta group as an “extremist organization” and demands blocking Instagram and WhatsApp, in addition to Facebook.
Russia announced on Friday that it is prosecuting Meta for “calling to kill” Russians after Facebook and Instagram’s parent company relaxed its rules on violent messages targeting the military and Russian leaders.
Russia’s influential investigative committee said it was launching an investigation “due to illegal calls for the killing of Russian citizens by employees of the American company Meta.” Russian prosecutors asked him to recognize the Internet giant as an “extremist” organization and ban its activities in Russia.
The Investigative Committee also asked Russia’s Internet regulator Roskomnadzor to block access to the country’s popular Instagram and WhatsApp apps. Facebook has been unavailable in Russia for a week now.
Changes limited to a few countries
Meta has adjusted its moderation policy in Ukraine, as well as in a number of countries such as Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Georgia or Lithuania, according to Reuters information, confirmed by an American group. In these territories, publications of Internet users calling for reprisals against the Russian army or wishing the death of Vladimir Putin or President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will not be deleted.
Read alsoFacebook and Instagram allow posts calling for “death to Russian occupiers”
“This is a temporary measure to allow people facing a military invasion to freely express their opinions,” explains a spokesperson for Meta. “We continue to ban calls for violence against Russians outside of this context.”
Roskomnadzor asked Meta to officially tell them if the information from Reuters is correct. “We cannot believe the information reported by Reuters – this is unbelievable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday morning. “We hope this is false, because if this information is correct, then action will need to be taken to stop this company.” Hours earlier, the Russian embassy in the United States had called on “US authorities to stop Meta’s extremist activities and bring those responsible to justice.”
the UN worries
The UN expressed concern about the decision taken by Meta. “Obviously this is a very, very complex issue, but it raises concerns from a human rights and international humanitarian law perspective,” Elisabeth Trossel, spokeswoman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, explained during a press briefing. in Geneva. The uncertainty around this statement “could definitely contribute to inciting hatred against Russians in general.”
“We will urge them (the Meta) to take a closer look at the damage that this policy change could come with,” the spokesperson said, while acknowledging that the issue needs more scrutiny.
Thus, it is possible “that in an ongoing conflict, incitement to violence against those directly involved in hostilities cannot be prohibited”, she suggested, believing that this requires a deeper analysis of the High Commission, as well as more information from High Commissioner. social media giant.
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